Category: Lifestyle

Club 360

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 10, 2010

Club 360
2nd Floor, A. Venue Mall, Makati Avenue, Makati City
(02) 994-9674

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This is my 2nd time at Club 360. The first time I wasn’t able to blog about it because, well I lost the pictures I took there! Anyhow, I was very impressed the 1st time as it stuck in my mind that Club 360 served good food. So when my friend invited me for dinner, I immediately said, “Let’s go to Club 360 at A. Venue Mall.“

The impression you would get from Club 360 when you look at it, you would think that it was a bar rather than a restaurant. Club 360 is obviously projecting a bar/club image. It had a pretty cool red and black themed entrance with circle shape and yes, that caught my attention.

The bar impression you get before you enter? Totally forgotten once you walk past the door. It really is a restaurant more than a club!!

club 360 restaurant

We ordered the following:

Pineapple Fried Rice (Php 180)

I was very disappointed when this was served to us. I ordered this because I saw the picture in the menu where the rice was supposed to be served in pineapple. You think my disappointment evaporated? It continued with the taste of the dish. This dish is just normal.

Spareribs Salt & Pepper (Php 200)

This dish, i remember ordering during my 1st visit at Club 360. It still tasted the same, meat was tender and yummy to eat.

Chinese Kangkong w/ Lechon Kawali (Php 195)

Lechon Kawali w/ Kangkong is definitely a good combination. I love it!

Mascovado Healthy Lemonade (Php 60)

There were three types of lemonade served in Club 360. I’m having a hard time distinguishing the difference. So i ended up asking the servers. I asked, “What is the difference between masconvado, healthy lemonade, lemon mascovado lemonade and honey lemonade?”

Their answers were useless! hahahaha!

They don’t even know themselves. They just gave me ssoooo crazy answers like this is with honey, this is with lemon and this is healthy. LOLz. Crazy.

360 Iced Tea (Php 60)

Mango Sago (Php 90)

The mango sago is like the worst mango sago I have ever eaten!! It’s like watered mango! That’s how I felt the taste was like 🙁

I feel sad that when we visited Club 360, there were few people dining there. To be fair, even in all the other restaurants in the mall, we observed that there aren’t too many people. The location of Club 360 isn’t helping it attract customers either. See, most events and parties are on the first floor. And Club 360? They are on the 2nd floor of the mall where too few visit.

A proof that there were not much people? Three servers were entertaining customers in 1 table. That’s too much customer service, IMHO. I hope their business will do better. Such a waste if they just close down.

More pictures from our dinner here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

LopezLink

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 6, 2010

The Lopez Group is a conglomerate of businesses open by the Lopez family. This group includes Benpres Holdings and of course, who can forget ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation & BayanTel telecommunications company, among other businesses. LopezLink, on the other hand, is the monthly publication of the Lopez Group of Companies. It talks about the latest from the Lopez’s many businesses.

For example, If you open LopezLink you will see LopezLink 2009 Year End Report.

You will discover that it wasn’t a good year for the Lopez Group but it wasn’t a bad year either. The past year had business as usual for the Lopez Group. LopezLink reported a lot of activities but I will share only a few that caught my attention:

Kapit Bisig Para as Ilog Pasig was launched by ABS-CBN Foundation managing director Gina Lopez.
Benpres last August 2009 bought back US$260M outstanding debt from Avenue Asia Group.
ABS-CBN had an exclusive coverage of US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton’s visit as well as earning P1.79B.
Meralco entered into an investment and cooperation agreement with PLDT (march)
First Philippine Holdings Corporation becomes, Integrated Management Systems certified.
ABS-CBN Foundation Bantay Bata 163 is “most popular corporate social responsibility (CSR)” project
Energy Development Corporation, First Philippine Holdings Corporation and ABS-CBN get highest scores in corporate governance.
Energy Development Corporation takes over Mindanao 1 and 2 geothermal power plants in North Cotabato.
www.lopezlink.ph goes online.
Sagip Kapamilya lead Lopez Group to mobilize relief and rehabilitation
Energy Development Corporation turn overs Palinpinon and Tongonan Power Plants in Visayas to Green Core Geothermal .
More than 22,000 participated with A Run for the Pasig River by KBPIP

LopezLink also talked about the Knowledge Channel and the Department of Education renewed basic education tools development partnership. This was during the recently held Knowledge Channel Stakeholders Awards (KOSA). What happened was, Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. and the Department of Education signed a memorandum of agreement that renewed their partnership. The purpose of this agreement is the continued partnership to develop basic education tools through the Knowledge Channel.

One of the aims of the Knowledge Channel Foundation is to broaden the channel’s reach from the existing 2,000 schools even as it continues its advocacy by keeping up with trends in technology and new ways to advance development of children.

Another interesting development is Knowledge Channel and Citi Philippines’ partnership. They will be launching a series that will teach simplified economic and financial concepts. The title of the series will be “Estudyantipid”. The show how to save money properly. It aims to teach about basic econ concepts like wants, and needs; wealth; interest and inflation.

Here is the trailer for that show:

Another program the Knowledge Channel is pushing for is the 10 episode, “Mi Isla,” which will be about how to save the environment. It will focus “Center of the Center” where marine life is very rich. This area is found in the sea route that is enclosed by Batangas, Marinduque, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental and Romblon provinces. This show was filmed in Verde Island.

LopezLink also have forums if you want to participate. This is LopezLink Forum & where I last posted on LopezLink.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Feng Wei Wei Authentic Taiwanese Cuisine

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 2, 2010

Feng Wei Wei Authentic Taiwanese Cuisine
#82 Banawe Street corner Samat Street, SMH, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 412-5435

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Feng Wei Wei is just a small stall in Banawe, Quezon City but there are always so many people dining. I wondered why. Well I didn’t have a chance to try it until the other day. I’m just so glad I did.

Their place is like a canteen. You can choose from the display which food you want to order. Everything looks sooo yummy. It’s very chinese, the owners are taiwanese and can’t speak tagalog well. They have lots of filipino staff so you don’t have to worry about the language barrier.

canteen feng wei wei

Here are what we ordered:

Broccoli Mushroom (Php 90)

This is Broccoli with Mushrooms. Not fond of mushrooms, I only ate the broccoli. This is simple, healthy & delicious. I believe that broccoli should not have a lot of things cooked with it. So this dish is just good as it is 🙂

Sausage Steam Chicken (Php 100)

I’m not fond of steamed chicken. Whenever I look into one, I always imagine that it would be like raw chicken. Yeeeewww!!! Since we already ordered this, I might as well try one right? Surprisingly good, very tasty but I still can’t get over my initial impression. Oh yeah, I let my friend finish this dish 😛

Adobo Tofu (Php 50)

So what’s my favorite dish from our lunch at Feng Wei Wei? Adobo Tofu! Let me tell you, this dish? You could taste the adobo all over the tofu. It was perfect.

Black Pepper Egg Rice (Php 80)

Do you remember my post about Gate One Cafe Taipei? Now I understand why this dish also has so much pepper. The dish was really meant to be that way. I appreciate this more now. It just proved that Feng Wei Wei really is offering authentic Taiwanese Cuisine. I would know right? I just came from Taiwan for vacation.

Soya Milk (Php 75)

Good enough for two 🙂

Assorted 8 Beans Ice (Php 55)

This is similar to Daifu Noodle House’s famous dessert. While Daifu definitely gives more, Feng Wei Wei’s Wonder Ice is more delicious! I felt like there was gulaman syrup in the ice because I felt I was eating gulaman. But it still tasted good 🙂

Before I forget to mention, Feng Wei Wei is also offering party food. While we were dining there, I heard someone ordered some dishes for Php1,000 per dish. I think it was good for at least 10 people, though I’m not so sure.

I’ve always wanted to try Feng Wei Wei & I’m glad I was able to eat there. You can find the rest of the pictures here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Mom & Tina’s Bakery Cafe

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 1, 2010

Mom & Tina’s Bakery Cafe
G/F Unit 14 Tropical Palm Plaza, Perea cor. Dela Rosa St., Legaspi Village, Makati City
(02) 840-4299

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I dropped by the office last week though I was on leave. I don’t know why but I guess I missed work? Anyhow, I had quite a great time with colleagues Jo & Miko during dinner. Jo recommended Mom &a Tina’s Bakery Cafe w/c I haven’t heard of before. I’m so glad we went through with it coz the food is good! Wow! I didn’t know that there are still lots of places I haven’t tried to go to.

Mom & Tina’s Bakery Cafe started as a hobby of a mom and daughter, I suppose the daughter’s name is Tina. They put up the cafe to share with us their home-cooked food & freshly baked pastries. The ambiance was pretty cool though. Their decors really exudes the holiday season. I was even wearing green so I kinda helped with the theme. 😛

Roch Mom and Tinas

Here are what we ordered:

Carousel (Php 80)

Carousel meaning I can have any drink if I finished 1 glass. I can’t have all flavors in 1 shot but I can ask for each flavor each time. If you wanna try out all their bottomless drinks in 1 sitting then this is for you. This includes Lemon Iced Tea, Red Iced Tea, Green Iced Tea & Blue Lemonade.

Bottomless Red/Green/Lemon Iced Tea (Php 60)

Well, this is not carousel. So you order just one of those iced tea. For me though, I liked the green iced tea the best 🙂 per glass is at Php 45.

Smoked Salmon Sandwich (Php 275)

You can see the salmon in the sandwich. Looks yummy right? This is smoked salmon w/ lettuce, egg slices, capers, cream cheese & dill sauce. Served with one of the best potato chips I have ever eaten.

Philly Cheesesteak (Php 255)

Grilled rib eye with melted cheese on a bun served with their delicious potato chips. I wish I could just order the potato chips.

Half-Pound Salisbury Steak (Php 265)

This one is very good. The burger was juicy & very meaty. I enjoyed each and every bite of it. It’s grilled sirloin burger pattie served with vegetables, mashed potato and rice. There’s actually a quarter-pounder Salisbury steak (Php 195) but I felt it wouldn’t be enough for me. I was right! Half-pounder is just right for me. You should try this when you go to Mom & Tina’s Bakery Cafe.

Mocha Frosticcino (Php 98)

Toblerone Walnut Torte Cup (Php 90)

This one tasted fresh and good but I was too full already. I tried out just one scoop. There are other Torte Cups available in Mom & Tina’s like White Toblerone (Php 95), Mango (Php 85), Strawberry (Php 100) & Dark Toblerone (Php 95).

Christmas dinner pictures at a new-found restaurant, thanks Jo & Miko! 🙂

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.

Crustasia Asian Crab & Seafood House

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On January 1, 2010

Crustasia Asian Crab & Seafood House
2nd Floor, Trinoma Mall, North Triangle EDSA, Quezon City
(02) 901-3607

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I’m sooo excited to share with you this meal Christina & I had. The meal was just unforgettable. I wish I can do it everyday. Every dish was just overly delicious. As I write this post, I’m already wishing I can go back to the time that we’re eating hahahaha! Crazy, right? But it was just that delicious! Yummy!!!

I guess there’s really a reason why there was no room available in Red Box Karaoke. We were supposed to have lunch at Red Box, eat and sing our heart out but it didn’t push through. The front desk told us that all rooms were booked. It was a blessing in disguise, coz what happened next was my most unforgettable meal in year 2009! :D:D:D

We decided to order for their crabs as it is Crustasia’s specialty. You know what’s funny? We also ordered shrimps! We were like killing ourselves with cholesterol but hey, it was all worth it. Worth it, worth it.

Here are what we ordered:

Orange & Pomelo Cooler (Php 195)

Combination of orange & pomelo shaked mildly then served with ice. There were actually 3 sizes offered: solo (Php 105), medium & large (Php 345). We ordered medium as it was perfect for Christina & I.

Thai Seafood & Basil Rice in Bamboo (Php 265)

Great presentation! I never thought that this Thai rice was spicy! We were like shocked to the thousandth level after we tried it. We were like red in the face! Crustasia, this is like OVER! Too spicy! We ended up just eating like 4 tablespoonful of this and just finished the other dishes. Don’t get me wrong though, this dish tasted sooo good too! It was just too spicy for our taste.

Buttered Cereal Shrimps (Php 385)

Buttered Cereal is very popular in Singapore. And I’m glad Crustasia brought it to us here in the Philippines. This was made sooo beautifully. We finished this dish first. We were like lil kids enjoying each and every bite haahhaa!

Typhoon Shelter Crab (Php 1,350)

Superstar dish! The server showed us the crab live first, then we had to agree if we wanted it. After a short while, it was served to us cooked. Wow! That’s all I can say. Geez, whatta crab! 😀

Deep-fried cooked with garlic and chilis. Served with a great amount of garlic and some noodles too. This was wayyy delicious, wow, whew! I missed it 🙁

Pancotta Trio (Php125)

Our dessert for the day. The three just tasted the same, it was just that they had different food items put on top of the panna cotta. Peanut brittle, mango and watermelon. Perfect to end such a great meal.

Christina really had to take this shot as I was too depressed that we finished all our food already. This is me pouting my heart out hahaha! I also have to say this, what an expensive meal! Our bill was Php2,500 and we’re just 2 lil ladies! hahaha! Oh well, it was a super yummy experience, super worth it!

pout crustasia

Best meal I had for December 2009, pictures can be found here.

Official Website of Rochelle Sy Chua on media, events, travel, food and restaurant experiences in Taipei, Taiwan, Manila, Philippines and Asia.